Each week, OMRF President Dr. Stephen Prescott opens “Adam’s Journal” to answer a medical question from OMRF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Adam Cohen.
Adam’s Journal
Here’s a question from a reader:
If you are SARS-CoV-2 positive, should you receive the new mRNA vaccines?
— Jeffrey Hays, Edmond
Dr. Prescott Prescribes
For this question, I consulted Dr. Eliza Chakravarty, an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation immunologist (and rheumatologist and epidemiologist). Here’s what Dr. Chakravarty said:
“If you are symptomatic, you should follow CDC guidelines for isolation before getting vaccinated. Stay home and recover so you don’t get anyone else sick.
“But if you are asymptomatic — in other words, you’re sick but don’t know it — it’s OK if you happen to get vaccinated during that time.
“When Pfizer and Moderna performed the clinical trials of their new vaccines, which rely on a technology known as messenger RNA, they took blood samples from everyone who was vaccinated. When scientists later analyzed those samples, it turned out that some of those people were infected but asymptomatic at the time they received the vaccine.
“Although it was a relatively small group, that group didn’t show any differences from uninfected people in how they responded to the vaccine. The vaccine was just as safe and effective in them as it was in everyone else.
“Because of this, health authorities are not recommending or requiring that people get tested before getting vaccinated.”
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Do you have a health query for Dr. Prescott? Email contact@omrf.org and your question may be answered in a future column!